Yesterday Mom and Dad got a glimpse of Tokyo and we did a lot of walking and subway riding. Today we're headed to Sendai on the bullet train to meet up with Keenan, see one of Japan's 3 Most Scenic Views and check out a baseball game! Sendai is about half the distance between Tokyo and Misawa.
We got going in the morning and headed toward Tokyo Station where we'd get on the shinkansen (bullet train). Since we were getting there a little earlier I said we should try to switch our tickets to the earlier train...we did that and then had to walk pretty quickly to get to the platform on time. That was probably not the greatest idea...it caused some stress having to rush. Instead of changing our tickets I should have showed them around Tokyo Station so they'd be more familiar with it when they make the return trip on their own. I think they'll be fine, but showing them would have probably eased some worries. It's a BUSY place, luckily all the signs are also in English.
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| Headed down into the subway station. |
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| Shinkansen seats are pretty comfortable. Much more roomy than a regular seat on a plane. Not a fan of the mustard yellow they chose for the upholstery though... |
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| Next to one of the fastest trains in the world. The noses of the trains are long and narrow to reduce the sound blast when entering tunnels. |
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| Tokyo is the farthest south grouping of markers, Misawa is the farthest north, Sendai is in the middle. |
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| Outside Sendai Station. |
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| The start of Sendai's covered shopping street. |
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| School age kids wear either uniforms or matching hats 99% of the time. So cute! |
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| One of the "magic" parking garages. Drive in, turn car off, put in mirrors, set parking brake and get out. Next the door closes and the car goes somewhere... When you come back you hand the attendant your ticket and within minutes it magically reappears ready to be driven straight out! |
Luggage dropped and car retrieved we went to get some lunch at Pepper Lunch. This is a fast-ish food chain that serves steak or sliced beef, vegetables and rice on a very hot cast iron plate. The food gets cooked as you stir it. It's delicious and I burn my tongue every single time...sigh...too good to wait for it to cool!
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| Oh yes, there are lots McDonald's here too. |
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| "How to cook Pepper-Rice: Mix it well first to make color uniform and to grill lean meat well. Enjoy it with our special sauce of your choice." "How to cook Beef Steak: Grill lean meat with tongs. Spread our special pepper paste over meat, then turn it over. Place meat on vegetable to avoid overcooked." |
Bellies are full, time to head to Matsushima Bay just northeast of Sendai. The bay is one of Japan's 3 Most Scenic Views. We took one of the ferry tours to cruise around some of the 260+ islands in the bay. Keenan and I had visited here last December on a cold, windy day...today's weather was MUCH better!
Matsushima was not badly damaged by the 3/11/11 tsunami due to the islands reducing the force of the wave. Places both north and south were hit very hard. Sendai was the closest major city to the epicenter which was only 81 miles offshore. If you don't know what I'm referring to when talking about the earthquake and tsunami you should look it up. Japan will be trying to heal for many many years to come.
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| Earthquake! Tsunami comes! Immediately Evacuate Quickly! In case of earthquake, go to high ground or inland. |
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| Ferries headed out to cruise. |
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| Godaido is a temple built in 807. The current building has been in place since 1604. Amazing that it wasn't badly damaged by the tsunami. |
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| "The bridge to Godaido has spaces between the planks to enable walkers to see the surface of the water. So enjoy crossing the bridge with concentration -- if you trip, that means you are not yet qualified to reach the island." She didn't trip! |
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| Mom & Dad were amazed that this is the size of a "pickup" in Japan. Nothing the size of a Silverado or F-150 here. |
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| Seagulls chase the boat looking for snacks. |
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| Our favorite island, so cool! |
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| This is what we get when he has the camera... |
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| Do Not Enter! I think it's something about quick sand! |
See one of Japan's 3 Most Scenic Views...check! Time to head back to the hotel and check in before we head to a baseball game! As we relaxed for a little bit before heading to the game Mom and Dad got to feel their first EARTHQUAKE! It was only a 1 on the intensity scale (different than magnitude), so very small, but when you're a few stories up it's felt a little bit more. As much as earthquakes make me nervous...always wondering if it's the next "big one," they keep life a little unpredictable. I suppose it's a bit like my past living in the midwest and wondering if a thunderstorm was going to bring hail or a tornado...
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| This is a typical Japanese hotel room. I warned them it would be small. Not even sure the beds are as big as an American full size bed. The rooms we've stayed in are usually just over 100 sq ft. |
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| Tiny bathroom. Just enough room for one person at a time. Sometimes the sink overlaps the edge of the tub. |
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